Kidman film guarantees scandal

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Nicole Kidman has arrived in Venice to present Birth, a movie vying for the Golden Lion award and guaranteed to provide scandal at this year's Venice Film Festival.

Directed by Jonathan Glazer, the movie tells the story of Anna (Kidman), a mature woman who calls off her wedding with Joseph because she is intrigued by a 10-year-old child who claims to be the reincarnation of her late husband.

Controversy is secured by a scene in which the boy and Kidman appear naked in a bath tub.

A subsequent sequence in which the two also kiss has since been cut by distributors for fear of upsetting censors.

"Simply stated, I think it [the movie] is about a woman driven into madness by love," Glazer said. Birth is due to be screened on Wednesday.

Kidman, who arrived in Venice on Monday, is staying at the city's luxurious Cipriani Hotel, the same used until a few days earlier by her former husband, Tom Cruise, who has since left the lagoon.

Tuesday's screenings included two other films competing for the coveted Golden Lion award: Promised Land, a movie about white slavery by Israeli director Amos Gitai; and Palindromes, a bizarre film about a 12-year-old girl who wants to be a mom by American director Todd Solondz.